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    "seq": 8,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "4\nthe executive branch enjoys a preponderance\nlong-range planning for the improvement of\nof power and often dominates the legislative\nthe economic and social conditions of the\nand judicial branches as well as provincial and\ncountry.\nmunicipal governments. The new constitu-\ntion is a revision of the 1871 document, and is\nThis party provided a majority of the troop\ncommanders in the civil war of 1948. As a\nmodelled to a great extent on the US constitu-\ntion.1\nresult, six members of the military junta which\ngoverned the country until November 1949\n3. Political Parties.\nwere members. Nevertheless, it was soundly\nPolitical parties of the type current in the\nbeaten in the December 1948 election for the\nUS and Great Britain do not exist in Costa\nconstitutional assembly and in the 1949 con-\nRica. Many Costa Rican political parties are,\ngressional elections, although it campaigned\nin reality, little more than aggregations of the\naggressively. The defeats appeared to indicate\nfollowers of ambitious politicians. They are\nthat the public preferred to see the country\noften temporary in character and relatively\nrevert to traditional political methods rather\nunimportant.\nthan adopt the reforms and the concept of\npolitical conduct that the Social Democrats\na. National Union Party (PUN).\nespoused. Another reason for its lack of\nThis is the personal political party of Presi-\npopular appeal was the military record of its\ndent Otilio Ulate. It polled 71.7 percent of the\nleaders. Many felt them to be inconsistent\ntotal votes cast in the congressional election of\nwith Costa Rica's pacific traditions.\n2 October 1949 and won 33 of the 45 seats in\nthe assembly. The party really has no specific\nc. National Republican Party.\npolitical or economic principles except, per-\nThis is the party of the Calderón Guardia\nhaps, the belief in constitutional government.\nbrothers, which (at least temporarily) has dis-\nIt is neither outstandingly liberal nor conser-\nintegrated since its party leaders were defeated\nvative, and has merely wished to seat Ulate in\nin the 1948 civil war and subsequently driven\nthe presidency and to win for itself control of\ninto exile. The party was organized in 1931\nthe government and the prerogatives thereof.\nand elected all four Presidents between 1932\nWhen Ulate ran for President in 1948 all\nand 1948. It retained power by means of its\nparties opposing the Calderonista administra-\nparticular appeal to the lower classes, by graft,\ntion united in nominating him for President.\nby patronage, and by manipulations of the\nAlthough the titular head of the National\nelectoral laws. The party entered into a co-\nUnion Party, he consented to run on a \"Demo-\nalition with the local Communist Party (Van-\ncratic Union\" ticket as a device for broadening\nguardia Popular) in 1944, and, under pressure\nthe base of his political appeal and securing\nfrom the Communists, passed most of Costa\nthe support of the Social Democratic Party.\nRica's modern social and labor legislation.\nAlthough no longer really existent, it still en-\nb. Social Democratic Party.\njoys a certain amount of popularity among the\nThis small party, formed in 1943, represents\ncountry's lower classes who have not yet trans-\nan aggregation of political amateurs, for the\nferred their allegiance to other political\nmost part young men, who oppose old-fash-\ngroups.\nioned party politics and who claim to prefer\nd. Communist Party (Vanguardia Popular,\na carefully framed platform truly representa-\nNow Renamed the National Democratic Party).\ntive of the convictions of the party's mem-\nbers-one for which the party members in\nThe Vanguardia Popular was outlawed by\nCongress and the presidential candidate, if\nthe junta on 17 July 1948. Manuel Mora and\nelected, will work. The party also favors sound\nothers of its leaders are now in exile. The\ngovernment based on a permanent civil serv-\nparty's chief source of strength, the Commu-\nnist-dominated Confederation of Workers of\nice, monetary reforms, a balanced budget, and\nCosta Rica (CTCR) with its subsidiary unions,\nAn analysis of the new constitution will be issued\nis disorganized. Communist elements are\nas an addendum to this document.\nworking persistently in Costa Rica, but thus"
}